About Dominic RicciardiHi, I am Dominic Ricciardi and welcome to my weebly site!
Here, you'll find out all about me, my life, businesses and interests. There may even be a guest appearance from a couple of dragons to top it all off... Firstly, the city of Peterborough may not be the most famous of all English cities, but it's where I call home, and where my businesses are based. |
Two of the most famous people from Peterborough are Henry Royce (one of the founding partners of Rolls-Royce) and the astronomer George Alcock, who is lucky enough to have a comet named after him.
Some day, through a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck, I hope to become as well-known and as highly regarded as those two great men.
I've always considered myself to be entrepreneurial, and my natural passion for what I do has helped me to deal with the occasional tough time that all entrepreneurs will experience every now and again.
My journey really began in the April of 1996, when I decided to build on my experience and contacts in the catering industry to take the plunge and set up my own business, which I called Caterquip.
Caterquip was established to provide high quality, second-hand catering equipment to clients all over the UK.
As anyone who's gone into business for themselves will tell you, it never quite turns out how you think it will! But after a lot of hard work from everyone at the company over a long period of time, and with the support of some great clients along the way, Caterquip is now stronger than ever, more than 20 years from the day it was founded.
At Caterquip, we've always been very clear about our goals.
The company was created to offer a wide range of kitchen appliances at far less than the usual retail prices, without compromising on customer service.
The key was to ensure that although our goods were second hand, they were top quality.
From combination ovens to dishwashers, extractors fans and frying equipment, everything we sell has been deep cleaned, tested, and serviced to the highest standards by our trained professionals, eliminating any risk and guaranteeing only the best quality for our customers. Also, all of our appliances are sold with a three-month parts and labour warranty for added peace of mind.
It is this kind of attention to detail and regard for our customer's satisfaction that we have built the business on. After all, as every good entrepreneur knows, the customers are the most important people of all. Quite simply, you can't have a successful business without customers!
And on this topic; we have been delighted to support and work with a wide range of customers over the years, from colleges and schools to hotel chains and hospitals.
One of our better known customers is restaurateur and TV chef Ed Baines.
Ed has been featured on BBC television shows many, many times, with just some of his credits including; Britain's Best Dish, Country Show Cook Off, Sunday Feast, Ready Steady Cook, Great Food Live, Ed Baines Entertains and even Pointless Celebrities!
Here's what Ed had to say about Caterquip:
I always thought dealing with a reconditioned equipment supplier would bring me nothing but problems… That’s until I contacted Caterquip UK.
They were recommended to me by a friend, and I can honestly say that they really deliver a high quality and affordable alternative to buying new. I can’t recommend them enough – their service is great, they deliver on their promises, and they really do have good quality equipment at fantastic prices.
Ed Baines
Chef and Restaurateur
This is exactly the kind of feedback that we at Caterquip love to receive, because it shows that we've given the customers just what we intended to, which is high quality goods at a great price, topped off with excellent service.
We been able to provide this level of service often enough to ensure that Caterquip has become the UK's largest provider of reconditioned catering equipment. This is an achievement which we're all very proud of, and it's a title that we work hard every day to maintain.
I think it's fair to say that we've achieved a lot at Caterquip over the years.
From humble beginnings, we've grown substantially, attracted a large client base, delighted many happy customers and worked on a lot of very interesting and highly fulfilling projects, all across the UK.
It's possible though, that you might recognise my name, Dominic Ricciardi, for another reason, and you may even recall my face from somewhere you're not quite sure of...
Don't worry, you're not going mad!
The fact is, I've appeared on a hugely popular BBC TV show which, at it's peak, was watched by up to six million people every week.
No, not Newsround. I am of course talking about Dragon's Den!
In 2012, I had the pleasure of pitching a franchising model I'd developed for Caterquip to the panel of business experts and (extremely wealthy) entrepreneurs on Dragon's Den.
The whole experience was a real mix of emotions.
I experienced powerful feelings of excitement, fear and determination...often all at the same time!
The experience was challenging, but also very instructive, and a great deal of fun.
Ultimately, I didn't get the investment I was looking for, but my franchise model has proven to be successful, with franchisees opening up for business in Plymouth, Cardiff and Norfolk.
And perhaps if Caterquip contains to grow, I might find myself back on Dragon's Den, except this time as one of the dragons, instead of one of the people seeking an investment...
Wouldn't that be a great ending to my story of appearing on the show!
Hey, you can't accuse me of lacking ambition...
Another indicator of my aspiration, drive and natural entrepreneurialism, is the fact that after setting up one successful catering equipment company, I decided I wasn't satisfied, so I then went and did it all over again!
Catering Equipment Solutions was founded in 2002 with me as part-owner.
Specialising in supplying equipment to restaurants while also offering a kitchen design service, Catering Equipment Solutions has also grown substantially since its creation.
It now employs 16 people, handles the the servicing and preventative maintenance of Rational ovens installed across KFC’s entire 850-strong UK store estate, won the fast food chain’s ‘New Supplier of the Year’ award in 2010, and landed its first £1m kitchen project, in the form of the iconic Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch, in 2017.
I think then, it's justified to say that I've accomplished quite a lot in my business career up to now, but as an ambitious man, I'm hoping that everything so far has been just the start, and that there are many greater adventures still to come, and many bigger things to achieve.
Thank you for visiting my weebly site; if you'd like to keep up to date with everything going on in the life of Dominic Ricciardi, or with the day to day running of either Caterquip or Catering Equipment Solutions, then bookmark this page and keep an eye out for updates!
Wishing you all the best,
Dominic Ricciardi
Caterquip UK
Some day, through a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck, I hope to become as well-known and as highly regarded as those two great men.
I've always considered myself to be entrepreneurial, and my natural passion for what I do has helped me to deal with the occasional tough time that all entrepreneurs will experience every now and again.
My journey really began in the April of 1996, when I decided to build on my experience and contacts in the catering industry to take the plunge and set up my own business, which I called Caterquip.
Caterquip was established to provide high quality, second-hand catering equipment to clients all over the UK.
As anyone who's gone into business for themselves will tell you, it never quite turns out how you think it will! But after a lot of hard work from everyone at the company over a long period of time, and with the support of some great clients along the way, Caterquip is now stronger than ever, more than 20 years from the day it was founded.
At Caterquip, we've always been very clear about our goals.
The company was created to offer a wide range of kitchen appliances at far less than the usual retail prices, without compromising on customer service.
The key was to ensure that although our goods were second hand, they were top quality.
From combination ovens to dishwashers, extractors fans and frying equipment, everything we sell has been deep cleaned, tested, and serviced to the highest standards by our trained professionals, eliminating any risk and guaranteeing only the best quality for our customers. Also, all of our appliances are sold with a three-month parts and labour warranty for added peace of mind.
It is this kind of attention to detail and regard for our customer's satisfaction that we have built the business on. After all, as every good entrepreneur knows, the customers are the most important people of all. Quite simply, you can't have a successful business without customers!
And on this topic; we have been delighted to support and work with a wide range of customers over the years, from colleges and schools to hotel chains and hospitals.
One of our better known customers is restaurateur and TV chef Ed Baines.
Ed has been featured on BBC television shows many, many times, with just some of his credits including; Britain's Best Dish, Country Show Cook Off, Sunday Feast, Ready Steady Cook, Great Food Live, Ed Baines Entertains and even Pointless Celebrities!
Here's what Ed had to say about Caterquip:
I always thought dealing with a reconditioned equipment supplier would bring me nothing but problems… That’s until I contacted Caterquip UK.
They were recommended to me by a friend, and I can honestly say that they really deliver a high quality and affordable alternative to buying new. I can’t recommend them enough – their service is great, they deliver on their promises, and they really do have good quality equipment at fantastic prices.
Ed Baines
Chef and Restaurateur
This is exactly the kind of feedback that we at Caterquip love to receive, because it shows that we've given the customers just what we intended to, which is high quality goods at a great price, topped off with excellent service.
We been able to provide this level of service often enough to ensure that Caterquip has become the UK's largest provider of reconditioned catering equipment. This is an achievement which we're all very proud of, and it's a title that we work hard every day to maintain.
I think it's fair to say that we've achieved a lot at Caterquip over the years.
From humble beginnings, we've grown substantially, attracted a large client base, delighted many happy customers and worked on a lot of very interesting and highly fulfilling projects, all across the UK.
It's possible though, that you might recognise my name, Dominic Ricciardi, for another reason, and you may even recall my face from somewhere you're not quite sure of...
Don't worry, you're not going mad!
The fact is, I've appeared on a hugely popular BBC TV show which, at it's peak, was watched by up to six million people every week.
No, not Newsround. I am of course talking about Dragon's Den!
In 2012, I had the pleasure of pitching a franchising model I'd developed for Caterquip to the panel of business experts and (extremely wealthy) entrepreneurs on Dragon's Den.
The whole experience was a real mix of emotions.
I experienced powerful feelings of excitement, fear and determination...often all at the same time!
The experience was challenging, but also very instructive, and a great deal of fun.
Ultimately, I didn't get the investment I was looking for, but my franchise model has proven to be successful, with franchisees opening up for business in Plymouth, Cardiff and Norfolk.
And perhaps if Caterquip contains to grow, I might find myself back on Dragon's Den, except this time as one of the dragons, instead of one of the people seeking an investment...
Wouldn't that be a great ending to my story of appearing on the show!
Hey, you can't accuse me of lacking ambition...
Another indicator of my aspiration, drive and natural entrepreneurialism, is the fact that after setting up one successful catering equipment company, I decided I wasn't satisfied, so I then went and did it all over again!
Catering Equipment Solutions was founded in 2002 with me as part-owner.
Specialising in supplying equipment to restaurants while also offering a kitchen design service, Catering Equipment Solutions has also grown substantially since its creation.
It now employs 16 people, handles the the servicing and preventative maintenance of Rational ovens installed across KFC’s entire 850-strong UK store estate, won the fast food chain’s ‘New Supplier of the Year’ award in 2010, and landed its first £1m kitchen project, in the form of the iconic Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch, in 2017.
I think then, it's justified to say that I've accomplished quite a lot in my business career up to now, but as an ambitious man, I'm hoping that everything so far has been just the start, and that there are many greater adventures still to come, and many bigger things to achieve.
Thank you for visiting my weebly site; if you'd like to keep up to date with everything going on in the life of Dominic Ricciardi, or with the day to day running of either Caterquip or Catering Equipment Solutions, then bookmark this page and keep an eye out for updates!
Wishing you all the best,
Dominic Ricciardi
Caterquip UK